Six people were arrested on Monday after they scaled down the steep terrain around the iconic Hollywood sign and changed it strategically to convey a message about breast cancer, according to police.
‘HOLLYBOOB’, read the sign briefly, with a large tarpaulin with the letter ‘B’ on it thrown over the ‘W’ and a strategically placed white stripe around the ‘D’ another ‘B.’ to make.
LAPD Capt. Hollywood area commander Steve Lurie said LAPD security personnel spotted the five men and one woman on video surveillance at about 1:15 p.m. A police helicopter responded to the area, and the flight crew could see the group moving down again. the hill to a place in Mulholland Drive – where other officers and park rangers met them with handcuffs.
The arrests were not publicly identified and could not be reached immediately for comment Monday.
All six are cited and released as offenses, Lurie said. “There is no vandalism because the board was not damaged,” he said.
The site is surrounded by Griffith Park, but is not accessible to the public and is privately maintained by the Hollywood Sign Trust.
A representative of the trust said they were grateful for the quick response of the LAPD.
“It’s unfortunate that such an important icon for the city of LA is not appreciated,” said Mark Panatier, the group’s chairman, saying the violation of the sign was wrong, regardless of the alleged case.
“This is an icon that is there to visually enhance the importance of Hollywood, not only for the city of LA, but also for the world,” Panatier said. “It must be upheld, it must not be humiliated.”
The sign has been changed before. On New Year’s Day 2017, it was changed to ‘HOLLYWeeD’.
“Steve Alper, 54, a dentist who lives down the hill and owns the vacant property of Mulholland where the arrests took place, said he was on his way to grab a lunch when he looked out the window and read the letters.” HOLLYBOOB “see.
When he arrived at his property in Mulholland, the group, who wanted cameras and other recording equipment, came down and the police showed up, he said.
“It’s probably just a gag,” he said.
Alper said people trespass on the property all the time, but are mostly afraid of guards or rangers on stick horns.